


The Scorpion, the Kunoichi and the Kabuto

by TMNT_Raph_fan



Series: TMNT 2012: Alternate Earth Stories [5]
Category: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TV 2012)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-30
Updated: 2017-05-22
Packaged: 2018-10-25 23:35:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 10,182
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10774824
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TMNT_Raph_fan/pseuds/TMNT_Raph_fan
Summary: Drawback uses his new mutation to escape his prison and is already planning a jailbreak for Karai, but he knows he'll need some help. He seeks out the turtles, and as luck would have it, they have just the bargaining chip they'll need; the Shredder's Kabuto.





	1. Prologue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Daniel 'Drawback' Drake (c) [Vino-Lerrej on Deviantart](http://vino-lerrej.deviantart.com/)  
> Design of Drawback by me

The noise was deafening; a cacophony of screams, pleas, roars, and other animal-like sounds. It enveloped the room, leaving no possibility of escape. And it was never ending. Since the moment Drawback had been lowered into that lightless room in his clear, tube prison, the sounds had filled his head, taken over his mind, pushing out any thoughts and all his focus. He had retreated against the back of the tube, knees pressed to his chest and arms wrapped around his head to cover his eyes and ears as best he could. He hadn’t even tried to look around to see where he was. He sensed the darkness as he descended, and knew he wouldn’t be able to see even if he tried, even if he wanted to. He hadn’t moved from that position in … days? How long had it been? It was impossible to keep track of time in such a place. It was hard enough trying to keep the noise out and even that was proving futile.

This is ridiculous, he thought to himself, trying to focus on his own breathing. How can this be happening? And why am I not doing anything about it? I need to get out. I need to get to Karai. I NEED to make Shredder PAY!

He opened his eyes, not expecting to see anything. But it wasn’t as dark as he thought it would be. The room had no light sources at all, so it would make sense for there to be nothing but a solid wall of darkness around him. However, he could see shapes and figures, all of which looked inhuman and animal in nature. It must have been the mutation. Whatever Shredder had turned him into, he now had nocturnal vision. He unwrapped his arms from around his head and reached out in front of him, his hand and one claw making contact with the front of his glass, tube prison. He took his other hand, making a fist, and slammed it into the glass. His fist bounced back, almost to a painful angle. He winced, drawing his arm close to his chest.

The glass must have some vibration absorption properties, he thought. He had never encountered, or even heard of, shock proof glass of this strength. He could feel his pincher fangs twitch and his mouth curl into a snarl at his anger. He curled his fingers and his clawed hand scratched against the glass. A snarl was building up inside him, threatening to push up his throat and escape his lips as a bellowing roar. He couldn’t let that happen; couldn’t let himself become like the others, lost in their screams. He forced himself to relax, to breath. He unfolded his hand and pressed it against the cold glass again. He suddenly raised his head, trying to look at the glass. He ran his hand along it and felt the divots his claw had made. Strange that the glass could resist his fist but not his claw. But Drawback didn’t question it too much before he began digging at the glass with his large claws. The glass was thick, but he believed he could claw his way out.

…

Raph stood in the sewers that led to their home, just underneath a sewer grate. He and his brothers had ordered a pizza, and it was Raph’s turn to wait at the pickup. The water sloshed against his ankles as he leaned his shell against the tunnel wall; his T-phone was pressed to his ear. He had dialed Kitkat’s cell number just a moment before, and now he waited as it rang. She and her family had gone on a mission to another dimension, but she had told him that her cell still worked because of the tech her genius Uncle had put into it.

“Hey, Raffle!” her voice came through the phone, along with sounds of a fight in the background.

“Uh, is this a bad time?” Raph asked, hoping she’d say no and talk longer.

“Nah, just some Skrulls,” she replied. “Not sure what they’re doing in the Negative Zone, though. But that doesn’t matter. We’re still kicking-HEY!” Raph heard what sounded like a laser blast by the phone speaker.

“Whoa, what happened?” Raph asked, worry seeping into his tone.

“Stupid, pointy-eared gremlin tried to blast me, but I got him back,” came her reply, sounding miffed at the alien menace she was fighting. “So, what’s up?”

“Oh, uh, nothing really. Just waiting for pizza,” the words fumbled in his mouth. “I just wanted to ask how the mission was going.”

“It’s awesome! I know my Uncle wanted me and Krispie to come along for safety, but I didn’t expect him to let us fight too! Sue wasn’t too thrilled about the idea, but Uncle Ben insisted ‘they’re just Skrulls’,” she told him excitedly. “I kicked one so hard, it flew right out of gravity!”  
Raph chuckled, “Not too hard to do with your super strength.”

“That’s not the point. You should have seen its face,” she shot back. “So, what about you? What have you been doing while I’m gone?”

“Well,” Raph began. “Karai … found out about Splinter. That he’s her real father.” There was silence on the other end, save for the battle sounds. “Kitkat?”

“Karai is Spinter’s daughter!?” she bellowed, obviously surprised at this news. Raph thought he could hear Krispie in the background, making a comment about Kitkat’s exclamation.

“Yeah,” Raph confirmed. “And when she went against Tigerclaw, he took her back to the Shredder. We haven’t heard from her since.”

“Okay,” she took a long pause. “It may have been a bad time for all that info. Splinter must be just, … oh man.”

“Yeah. He hasn’t been out of his room a lot lately.” He heard her grunt, no doubt throwing a punch or kick at another Skrull.

“I’m real sorry about that, dude. Wish I was there.”

“Don’t sweat it. We’ll work through this.”

“Yeah, but,” she paused. “Friends make it better.”

Raph opened his mouth to reply, but was interrupted by a call outside the grate, “hello? I got your pizza.”

“Our pizza’s here,” Raph told Kitkat, pulling the money out of his belt.

“I’ll let you eat, then. I’ll see you when I get back, ‘kay?”

“You know it. See ya,” he said before hanging up the phone. He waved the money out of the grate to get the pizza guy’s attention.


	2. Questioned Leadership

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Daniel 'Drawback' Drake (c) [Vino-Lerrej on Deviantart](http://vino-lerrej.deviantart.com/)  
> Design of Drawback by me

Leo snuck up to his sensei’s door and peered inside. The last time they encountered Tigerclaw, they had fought him alongside Karai, their newly acquainted sister, who had finally learned the truth. But they had returned home without her, unable to stop Tigerclaw from stealing her away when the battle didn’t sway in his favour. And then they had to tell Splinter, and watch the sadness swell in his eyes as they did. He had remained in his room for the majority of his time since. Leo watched him now, as Master Splinter stared at a photo from his past; of him, and his wife, and his baby daughter. The ninja master raised his hand and stroked the photo, his shoulders and ears drooping with depression. Leo debated going in. But when he couldn’t decide on what to say, he opted out and headed back to the main area where his brothers were. He descended the small set of stairs that sat just outside the dojo, stopping at the bottom as Raph entered with their dinner.

“Pizza's here,” he called casually, holding the box up like a waiter, with its lid open wide to show off the steam wafting up from the cheesy pie. Mikey turned away from watching one of his cartoons, spreading his arms out in excitement over his favourite food item. He jumped up from his crossed-legged position and zipped over to his red-banded brother and, more importantly, the pizza.

“Huh? You got one pizza?” He pointed dramatically at the single pizza, before shoving two of his fingers into Raph’s face. “I'm, like, a two-pizzas-all-by-myself guy.” Raph kept shifting his head to avoid Mikey’s obnoxious hand, but the youngest brother continued to move his digits into Raph’s line of sight. Donnie calmly walked up to sit on the other side of the pizza to Raph, taking a piece to eat.

“Would you relax?” Donnie told him, taking a bite.

Mikey glared at his two brothers munching away. And then he smiled wickedly before uttering, “Pizza is mine.” He pulled out a homemade, eggshell, smoke bomb. “Booyakasha!” He cried out as he slammed the bomb to the floor. The purple smoke filled the small area being occupied by the three brothers, earning a set of surprised coughs from Raph and Donnie. The smoke faded and Raph fluttered his eyes open again, making sure not to let the smoke irritate them. He looked around, and spotted his brother crawling around on the floor. Mikey had attempted to grab the pizza and run, but with the smoke obstructing his vision, he instead knocked the box, with the pizza inside, to the ground.

“Mikey!” Raph roared, jumping off the couch to a standing position.

“I cannot believe you'd do that,” Donnie added, as the two of them watched Mikey try to pick up the pieces.

“Ah! Where's the pizza?” Mikey moaned.

Leo came up behind his brothers, “How can you guys fool around like this when Karai needs our help?” He was visibly upset, with a heavy frown crinkling his skin. Raph and Don had turned when he spoke, but Mikey continued with his pizza situation.

Raph turned away, crossing his arms in disgust, “ugh, not this again.” Leo’s frown turned into surprise at his brother’s reaction. He quickly recovered, moving away from anger or surprise and more towards a calm yet serious demeanor.

“We have to rescue her,” he told his brothers, stating what he thought was obvious.

“Look,” Raph began, moving one of his arms out of its crossed form to gesture at his brother as he talked. “Maybe she believes Splinter is her father, but she was still raised by Shredder. You think she's gonna turn on him just like that?”

“Yes, I do,” Leo answered confidently, and without a beat. “Now am I the leader of this team or not?” He shifted his gaze around the room to make sure his other brothers knew he was addressing them now as well. Donnie and Raph looked at each other blankly. After a moment, Donnie gave a small shrug and hummed a sound of unsureness.

Raph turned back to Leo, his expression unchanging, “More or less.”

“More or less?” Leo took a step forward, insulted by his brothers’ nonchalant behavior about his leadership. “So I'm only the leader until I tell you to do something you don't want to?” He paused, waiting for a response. But the only one he got was his two brothers giving each other another glance of unchanging expression. “Ugh, fine,” Leo grunted, disappointed at the outcome. He began to walk towards the exit, “I'm gonna check out Shredder's lair, see if it has any weak points.” Donnie watched him walk for a moment, gave Raph one last glance, and then shrugged and rolled his eyes.

“Wait,” he called after his brother in blue and got up from the couch. “We'll come with you.”

“But this doesn't mean we're going in,” Raph assured them crisply. Mikey came crawling in, still searching for more pizza.

“Pizza. Pizza. Pizza? Pizza?” he mumbled. He gasped as he discovered another fallen piece and reached out to grab it. But Raph grabbed the back of his shell instead and began pulling him towards the exit.

“Come on,” Raph grunted, dragging his younger brother across the floor.

...

Glass shattered, but in a room full of screeching mutants the sound was a mere pin drop. Drawback had broken though his glass tube prison, and waited to see if anyone noticed; either the other mutants being held captive, or any guards that were possibly watching. When nothing in the room changed, he crawled out. The hole wasn’t as large as he would have preferred, but he knew he couldn’t be picky in this situation. He crawled through, doing as best he could not to cut himself on the sharp edges and managing to only do so a few times. But he had done it; he was out, sitting on his hands and knees in the pitch dark room of mutant prisoners. He checked the scratches, and came to realize that they weren’t there. He could have sworn the sharp, glass edges had scraped across his skin at one point or another. His new armoured skin was tough. He liked that thought.

He slowly got to his feet, thankful to be standing again after days of crouching, and thankful that his mutation didn’t take away his ability to stand, to force him on all fours. He looked around, trying to locate a door. A thought tickled his mind; maybe there weren’t any doors. He only knew of one and it was how he had gotten in. He raised his head to the ceiling and saw machinery resting dormant against it. He guessed that was the mechanics that lowered his cell into this prison. But it was a shadow, a shape that he could see in the dark with his nocturnal sight. He looked behind his cell, hoping to find a wall, but he only saw more tubes, filled with other mutants. It didn’t appear that they could see him, and like the others, they too were screaming and roaring and banging at the glass. He looked to his sides; more tubes spanned in those directions than they did in front of him. Forward seemed to be the best option to finding a wall that he could climb. He began a lumbering walk down the aisle and his shoes slipped right off. He looked down at his shoes, and then at his feet. He couldn’t get a clear picture in the darkness, and decided to keep moving until he got to a more brightly lit room. He had only seen a translucent reflection of what he looked like now, and he wondered what the full nature of his mutation was.

He continued walking past the tubes. When he came to the wall, he wasted no time in digging his claws into the concrete, pressing the hands of his other arms against its surface for support. He scaled the wall, finding it easier than he expected. He got to the ceiling and braced himself for the angle shift. He slowly shifted to hang upside down, claws digging into the stone surface of the ceiling. He could feel the pull of gravity and hugged the ceiling closer. The strain in his arms grew with the difficulty as he looked for the mechanical shadow he was trying to reach. He spotted it and began slowing moving forward. He was careful, only removing one hand or foot from the ceiling at a time. The minutes dragged on and the strain on his limbs grew. Sweat formed on his brow and his breathing became loud and quick paced, puffing out of his mouth every time he dug into the ceiling. He closed his eyes, but refused to stop; afraid that if he did, he would lose his grip and fall. When he opened them again, not too much later, it was so dark he couldn’t tell if he had really opened them or not. He thought it was strange, given his new nocturnal vision, and soon discovered the real reason when he bumped his head on the metal contraption he had been following, as it was so large it was blocking his vision. He was able to move around it and find a space that allowed him to get on top, where he rested a moment and thought about his next step.

 _‘I need to find the door that leads out of here,’_ he thought, while lying on his side, breathing heavily. His eyelids fluttered, fighting sleep. He lifted himself up onto his elbows, hoping the elevation would keep him from slipping into slumber. He shifted his eyes across the ceiling, searching for the seams that represented a door. He found it just to the left of the clawed hand of the mechanic arm. He crawled to the back and pushed against its gears, hoping to move it directly under the door. His first few attempts yielded no results, but eventually he heard the creaking sounds of hope. It took him several more tries, but eventually Drawback was able to position the hand to where he wanted it to be. He then crawled to the hand and reached up towards the door, grasping it firmly in his claws and hands. He used his weight to push against the door, and was thankful that he managed to crack it open an inch on his first try. After several more tugs, the door was open enough for him to slip through. He crawled up and rolled onto his back, panting from all the exertion. Suddenly his eyes shot open, a wave of realization and anxiety rushing over him. _‘Alarms,’_ he thought with panic. _‘There will be alarms! I can’t just lie around here waiting to be caught.’_ He sat up with a bolt, a new wave of energy flowing through him as his adrenaline peaked. He flipped onto his hind legs and bolted to the door leading out of the room. He used his strength to pry it open and without any hesitation or bothering to check for guards, he began to scale the wall.

 _‘I just need to find a window,’_ he thought, trying to encourage himself. He let out a nervous breath before crawling down the hall along the ceiling.


	3. Meet the New Guy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Daniel 'Drawback' Drake (c) [Vino-Lerrej on Deviantart](http://vino-lerrej.deviantart.com/)  
> Design of Drawback by me

The turtle brothers soared down the streets of New York in their Shellraiser, and Leo was already working through ways to scout the Shredder’s headquarters. “I'm thinking we might have better luck if we tunnel up from underneath Shredder's lair,” he told his brothers.  


“Ooh, what if we tunnel down from above?” Mikey suggested excitedly. “That'll really confuse 'em.” Raph sat between them, looking rather annoyed and wishing he was anywhere than where he was currently.

“You can't tunnel down from- ugh!” Raph groaned at his brother’s idiocy, holding his fingers to his temples in frustration. “We're not tunneling from anywhere. We can't do this. Karai was raised by Shredder. She's one of the bad guys.” Donnie sat at his station, ignoring the bickering. He was focused on the tech that kept their massive vehicle running. He heard one of the alarms sound. Not a particularly loud one, just a perimeter alarm that notified them of impending impact. Donnie looked at the screen that showed footage of what was in front of the Shellraiser. There was nothing there. He looked below it, to the screen that showed infrared of the same footage above it. That screen showed the heat signature of a man running down the road. “Huh?” Donnie gasped, looking quickly between both screens trying to figure out what he was seeing. “Is that a guy? Leo, hit the brakes. Hit the brakes!” Leo slammed the petal to the floor and the Shellraiser screeched to a slowing speed. Donnie saw in the heat signature footage that the man turned to see the oncoming vehicle just before it hit him. They heard the thud of the impact, and the groan of someone being knocked down by a large traincar-turned-vehicle. The Shellraiser continued to skid, and Leo had to spin to the side to stop sooner. The Shellraiser was spread diagonally across the street, nearly spanning the entire width of the road. The turtle brothers filed out of their car to investigate.

“What did we hit?” Mikey asked, popping out of the vehicle first.

“A guy,” Donnie told him. “An invisible guy! He only showed up on infrared.”

“Is this a Kraang thing?” Leo asked in a hushed tone, not sure where an invisible guy might be standing.

“No idea,” Donnie confessed, just as something caught Raph’s eye. Raph ran over to it as his genius brother continued. “We'd better find him.”

Raph approached the object, and on closer inspection it looked to be a high tech backpack. He turned it around in his hands, considering opening it. But just as he reached for the zipper, a familiar robotic chattering dragged away his attention. He looked to where it came from and saw an army of Foot bots lining the roof edges surrounding the turtles. They had their various assortments of deadly weaponry drawn at the ready. Curved knives replaced robot hands, katanas were firmly gripped, and spiked maces were held aloft in two hands.

“Guys,” Raph spoke to his brothers, understanding why the Foot bots had been on them so quickly. “You aren't going to believe this.” He pulled the shiny object out of the bag he had found and revealed it to his brothers. It was the Shredder’s Kuro Kabuto. Their jaws dropped as gasps escaped their gaping mouths. This was certainly not what they had planned, or even expected, for the evenings events. Raph swooped over to his brothers so they could form their back to back defensive block; weapons at the ready. “Huh? Well, tonight just got interesting,” Raph said sarcastically, just waiting for the moment when he could say ‘I told you so’ and rub it in his brothers faces that he was right not to go out in the first place.

“What's the plan?” Don asked seriously, ignoring his hot headed brother and not taking his eyes off the surrounding Foot bots.

“Oh, you know, kick, punch, stab,” Leo told them nonchalantly, partially unsheathing one of his katana.

“Right in my wheelhouse, brah,” Mikey chimed, always the optimist. 

...

Shredder stood in the center of his throne room, surrounded by his mutant soldiers and Foot bots. They stood uniformly, at attention, waiting for the order to be given. “You will find my helmet,” Shredder demanded, his growling tone demanding respect, but earning intimidation and fear. “Until it is returned to me, you will do nothing else. Nothing!”  
“Uh, Master Shredder,” Fishface spoke up hesitantly. “Can't you just get another helm-“ He wasn’t able to finish. The Shredder’s fist made a striking impact to the fish mutant’s skull, and he was thrown back a good ways. The others in the room gave no reaction, and made no attempt to help him; they knew better. The clunking footsteps of the Shredder’s armor approached Fishface, and the Foot leader loomed over him.

“That helmet, the Kuro Kabuto, has been the symbol of The Foot Clan for over 1,500 years. The clan's founder himself, the dreaded Koga Takuza, was said to be the greatest ninja in the history of Japan. His skill with a blade was greater than any Samurai. Takuza laid waste to warriors and rulers alike. He stole the sacred totems of his defeated enemies and fused them into an alloy stronger than Steel. He himself forged the Kabuto, and it has survived undamaged to this day.” The Shredder looked to his soldiers. “I am sworn to protect it with my life. You will find it, and you will bring it to me.” The blades on his forearm swung out and he shoved them into Fishface’s face. The mutant tilted his head to the side as the blades got uncomfortably close to his scaly skin. “Understand?” Shredder demanded.

“Uh, Yes, Master,” Fishface stammered his reply.

The Shredder pulled back his blade to point at his followers. “Xever, you go with the fly. Tiger Claw, go with Bradford.” His soldiers bowed in obedience to their master. He turned away, walking to his throne. He stopped to give one final warning, “Do not fail me. I promise you, the consequences will be dire.”

...

The breeze hit Drawback’s face as he opened the window, and he greedily breathed it in. After days of breathing nothing but stale air, it felt good to have something fresh fill his lungs, even if it was New York City air. He hung halfway out the window for several minutes drinking in the night air. And then he leapt out, over the alley that separated the Shredder’s headquarters from the next building, and landed on the neighbouring roof. That surprised him. He glanced back at the Shredder’s building, surveying the distance he had just cleared. It was impressive, and definitely not something he could have been able to do as a human. He grinned, looking at his mutant hands in the moonlight. He was beginning to like this new form. He took off running, clearing the alley gaps with ease. His tattered clothes flapped on his left shoulder as he picked up more and more speed.

“Woooo!” he howled in excitement, just before skidding to a stop. Something caught his eye just down the road. He inched to the edge of the roof, his movements becoming more animal-like. He peered into the distance, focusing on the fast movements. It looked like a fight; Footbots against … the turtles!

 _‘That’s it!’_ Drawback thought. _‘The turtles can help me free Karai.’_ He quickly darted across the rooftops, closing the gap between himself and the battle, but just as he arrived on the scene, the turtles were back in their vehicle and racing down the street. _‘Well, let’s see just how fast the new me can go.’_

...

Leo sat in the front seat of the Shellraiser, his grin spread clear across his face. “This is perfect. Perfect!” he nearly squealed in delight.

“Yeah!” Mikey pumped a fist in the air, before quickly bringing it down to his chin in confusion. “Wait, what?”

“Shredder's helmet,” Leo clarified, turning to face his brothers behind him. His glare stated that it should be obvious what was on his mind, but he continued to explain anyway. “We can trade it for Karai.”

“You're delusional, you know that?” Raph blurted, getting increasingly tired of hearing about rescuing the daughter of the Foot. Leo remained facing forward, watching the road with a furrowed brow. “How many times does Karai have to try to kill us before you get that she's not on our side?” Raph demanded.

“You're wrong about her, Raph,” Leo snapped, spinning his head around to face his brother. He was about to continue his argument when a loud thud was heard from the other side of their windshield. A large figure had landed on the hood of the Shellraiser. Leo slammed on the breaks, causing Raph to fall forward. Don and Mikey braced themselves in the back as their vehicle skidded to a halt. The four brothers quickly exited the Shellraiser, weapons drawn, and came face to face with a mutant they hadn’t seen before. He was wearing rags of torn clothing that hung from his right shoulder and tan cargo shorts that were split in half, but still hung tightly to two of his legs. The brothers eyed his large claws and scorpion tale warily.

“Another mutant?” Don questioned with surprise, even though he should have been used to it by now.

“Where do they keep coming from?” Leo asked, directing his question mainly towards Don. Donnie ignored his brother’s question as he visually examined the new arrival.

“He appears to be a mutant scorpion. A deathstalker scorpion to be specific,” Donnie told them. The new mutant remained perched on the hood of their vehicle, and snickered at Don’s comment.

“Well, I guess that answers the question that’s been rolling around in my head,” Drawback spoke. He crawled forward and stepped down onto the asphalt. “And I certainly like the idea of being a ‘deathstalker’.” The turtle brothers gave each other confused glances at the familiar sounding voice.

“Who are you?” Leo asked.

“It’s me, Drawback. And I need your help.”

“Drawback!?” the turtle brothers exclaimed, nearly in unison.

“Whoa, dude! What happened?” Mikey asked dramatically.

“The Shredder blamed me for Karai turning on him,” Drawback explained. “He mutated me once Tigerclaw brought us back to Shredder’s headquarters.” He paused, looking at the ground solemnly. “I think he took Karai to the dungeon.”

“He locked up his own daughter?” Leo breathed out the question disgustedly, but the surprise was not lacking in his voice and expression.

“Uh, she’s not his daughter, Leo,” Raph reminded him.

“But he still raised her. And then he just, what, forgot all that and threw her away like she was nothing?” Leo clenched his fists as the anger ran through his entire body.

“That’s what I need your help with,” Drawback told him, bringing their attention back to the newly mutated teen. “I want to break her out.”

“You and Leo ‘ought to start a club,” Raph joked under his breath, followed by an annoyed grunt. He crossed his arms, furrowed his brow and opened his mouth to say something else, but was interrupted. A medium sized blast seemed to come out of nowhere and strike in the center of group.


	4. Hot Kabuto

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Daniel 'Drawback' Drake (c) [Vino-Lerrej on Deviantart](http://vino-lerrej.deviantart.com/)  
> Design of Drawback by me

The explosion knocked everyone back, and nearly forced the Shellraiser to its side, but it was able to crash back to the pavement on its wheels. The turtles moaned and returned to their feet slowly as Drawback staggered around the Shellraiser to where they stood.

“Dude, what hit us?” Mikey asked, rubbing his head with his palm.

“I’d hazard a guess that it was them!” Donnie exclaimed, pointing sharply at Tigerclaw and Rahzar who were leaping off one of the surrounding buildings’ roof tops. Tigerclaw already had his blaster out, shooting at Donnie and Mikey. They danced around the blasts and ducked as Tigerclaw blew past them on his jetpack. Drawback tucked himself behind the Shellraiser, watching as Tigerclaw flew on a direct path for the helmet, but Leo landed a powerful kick to his side, sending him off target. Raph tucked and rolled towards the helmet, grabbing it in mid-roll. He barely got clear before Rahzar landed hard on the ground where the helmet was sitting just a moment before. Raph hugged the helmet, turning to see Rahzar flex his claws. Leo stepped in between them, holding his duel katana.

“Don't let 'em get the helmet,” he ordered. Leo swung his swords, pushing Rahzar back and away from his brother. Drawback poked his head out, watching the fight unravel before him. Raph turned forward again. He saw Tigerclaw, who had flown back around, heading straight for him; and the helmet. Drawback lunged towards the tiger, snatching him from the air with his large claw. The Foot Soldier let out a howl at the sudden pressure around his waist. His jets pulled forward but couldn’t get clear of whatever held him in place. He looked back to see Drawback, and recognized him immediately.

“You!” Tigerclaw bellowed. He may have recognized him, but he didn’t bother to remember his name. “How did you escape!?” Drawback didn’t have time to answer. Donnie had launched Mikey into the air like a cannon ball. He tucked his limbs into his chest, spinning through the air before stretching out his leg to make contact with Tigerclaw’s face. He was knocked from Drawback’s grasp and fell to the pavement next to Raph. Mikey landed back on the ground and gave Drawback a thumbs up as he stood, his smile beaming. Drawback reacted with confusion towards the turtle’s sudden approval of him, but quickly shook it off to keep his head in the fight.

Tigerclaw got to his feet quickly and swung his blade at Raph, who just happened to be the closest turtle. Raph tossed Shredder’s helmet over his shoulder to Mikey, who caught and hugged it to his chest, so that he could pull out a sai and defend against Tigerclaw. He and the tiger mutant engaged in their battle of blades, with Tigerclaw forcing the teen ninja backwards.

Donnie stood atop his Shellraiser, twirling his bo staff and swatting any Foot mutant who came within his reach. Leo appeared at his side, gesturing to the fire escape. “Come on,” he told his genius brother. He immediately began climbing the set of metal ladders, as Donnie stashed his weapon and followed without question or hesitation. Mikey, who had been watching his brother rage against Tigerclaw, now turned to catch the movement of his other brothers ascending to the rooftops. He looked back to Tigerclaw and Raph, in time to see Tigerclaw shove Raph to his shell with a burst of force. And then he ran towards Mikey. Mikey turned back to his brothers and hurled the helmet into the air in their direction before speaking. “Heads up, D! Hot Potato!” he cheered with spirits that seemed too high for their current situation. He dodged Tigerclaw’s attack as soon as the pack containing the helmet left his hands. Donnie hung from the side of the fire escape with his hand outstretched, ready to receive the pack.

“Got it!” he announced while turning to continue up the fire escape. He was followed by Mikey, Raph and Drawback, each using the Shellraiser as leverage to reach the first ladder. Tigerclaw and Rahzar quickly pursued them, without needing the fire escape. Rahzar scaled the side of the building and Tigerclaw used his jet pack, overtaking Rahzar in the race to the turtles. Leo got to the roof and took a quick glance over the edge at his brothers, and at the approaching enemy. He took out his katana and detached the roof exhaust port; a large, metal box that sits on top of the building to control the air flow. Leo then used the weight of his body to shove the box over the edge, and let gravity take it from there. The box fell and bounced off of Tigerclaw’s surprised face, causing him to lose control of his jet pack and begin plummeting towards the ground.

The turtles and Drawback ran across the roof top, forgetting momentarily about Rahzar, who was still scaling the brick wall to the roof. But he was not the only one they had to worry about. They came to a skidding halt as Fishface dropped down, seemingly from nowhere. They changed direction quickly, not wasting time in wondering where he came from, but were stopped again, this time by Stockman Fly. Fishface climbed the small, roof top water tower, so that he now towered over his prey, and began spinning his butterfly knife in his hand.

“I believe you have something we need,” he told the turtles.

“Deodorant?” Mikey joked, making a face to show his disgust at the other mutant’s foul odor. Fishface snarled at the comment and threw himself at the wisecracker, knife raised and ready. The turtles scattered to avoid the oncoming attack, but Drawback flung himself towards their assailant, grabbing Fishface out of the air, by the arm that held his blade. The fish mutant swung in Drawback’s grip, and tried to wrench his wrist free.

“And who are you!?” the fish mutant bellowed angrily, trying to use his powerful, robotic legs to kick himself free. Drawback only responded to him with a thunderous roar and the snapping of his other claw. “Charming,” Fishface murmured. Donnie threw the helmet to Leo while Fishface was being distracted, thinking it wise to keep the thing moving.

“Got it,” Leo huffed, as the metal helmet slid into his arms. He turned and fled across the rooftops, with Stockman fly on his heels. He buzzed through the air, gaining on the young turtle with outstretched hands ready to grab him. Leo could feel the air coming off the fly’s wings as he came up on his back. He kept his gaze forward and debated in his head what he would do if Stockman caught him. Thankfully, he didn’t need to put into action any plan he may have had, as Mikey had swung his chain weapon around the fly’s wrist and pulled him back away from his brother. Stockman was pulled through the air toward Mikey, and then kept flying past. He slowed to a stop, hovering a moment, and then shot toward the sky, pulling Mikey behind him. The turtle cried out in surprise as he was sent on an unexpected ride through the air, while still attached to the mutant insect. They spiraled in the air, performing barrel rolls and corkscrews. Mikey continued to scream, nearly running out of breath. They flew past the rooftop several times, where Donnie, Raph and Drawback were still wrestling with Fishface. Eventually Mikey’s grip on his chuck loosened and he was flung into the fish Foot soldier, knocking him out of Drawback’s grip. They slid across the roof, coming to a slow stop a moment later. Fishface looked up to see the orange banded turtle on top of him and pieced together what had happened. He kicked the turtle away from him and angrily shook a fist at Stockman.

“Hey! Watch it, Buzzkill,” Fishface scolded. Mikey rolled across the rooftop towards the others with his feet tucked into his pelvis. When he was far enough away from the enemy, he stretched out, and looked excited at what Fishface had said.

“Ooh, Buzzkill!” Mikey marveled at the idea as he got to his feet. “That's totally what we should've called him.”

Stockman returned to the scene of the battle, raining acid spit down onto the turtles and Drawback. They ducked down and covered their heads while avoiding the dangerous chemical the fly was spewing. Leo had stopped near the edge of the building to make certain that his team, his brothers, weren’t in need of his help. He looked up and saw Stockman coming for him since he still held onto the helmet. He sped towards the edge of the roof, but had to immediately skid to a stop to avoid Stockman’s acid spit.

“Dude's got a gazillion eyes. You'd think his aim would be better,” Mikey mocked with a disapproving glare. Donnie rolled his eyes at his brother, before his attention was pulled toward the billboard just above them, and the cracking sound that was emanating from it. The acid from Stockman’s saliva had melted through the support beams and the giant, rooftop ad was now falling towards the three turtle brothers and Drawback. They gasped as it crashed down on top of them.


	5. The Scorpion's Sting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Daniel 'Drawback' Drake (c) [Vino-Lerrej on Deviantart](http://vino-lerrej.deviantart.com/)  
> Design of Drawback by me

“Nooo!” Leo cried, rushing over to the fallen structure, and the villains who stood near it. Fishface leapt on top of the billboard and began stabbing through it with his blade before the turtle could get there. Leo leapt into the air as high as he could, planning to come down on Fishface with a powerful kick. But before he made contact, a large claw came up through the metal frame and grabbed the fish across his torso. It was Drawback. He pulled Fishface down hard, causing him to bounce of the fallen billboard and roll off its side. Leo landed and immediately went to peer through the hole once Drawback had retracted his limb. He saw that his brothers were alright, so he slipped over the side and began attempting to lift the large structure to free his brothers. He strained against the weight, not even able to make it twitch.

“Leo, is that you?” Raph’s voice came from beneath the structure. He crawled forward to get as close to Leo as he could. “It's no use, Leo. Just go. Save Karai. We'll take care of ourselves.” Raph waved his hand to shoo his brother, knowing that saving Karai was important to both his leader brother and his sensei.

“Got it,” Leo agreed, knowing that Raph’s words were true.

“Hey, wait! I never agreed to that!” Drawback raged, not liking the idea of being left behind. He wanted to be the one to save Karai; he just needed the turtles’ assistance. The brothers ignored him, and Leo continued with the plan. But before running off, he turned to face the four Foot mutants, who had finally managed to regroup.

“Freaks, I got your helmet!” He taunted before booking it in the opposite direction.

“You two, finish the Turtles,” Tigerclaw ordered Fishface and Stockman, as he and Rahzar charged after Leo. “We'll get the Kabuto!” Fishface and Stockman walked over to the fallen billboard as their allies faded from view over the rooftops. They closed in on those trapped beneath the large ad, preparing to dispose of the turtles and their friend. Raph held up his hands in defense, but then smiled mischievously before taking out one of their homemade smoke bombs. He flicked his wrist and sent the little egg crashing to the ground, exploding it in a cloud of purple smoke and dust. The sounds of coughing filled the area as the villains waved their hands uselessly at the smoke.

“I can’t see!” Fishface cried out, stating the obvious. Suddenly, a piercing pain struck his chest. Fishface froze, pain overcoming his body. As the smoke slowly cleared, he saw that Drawback had stabbed him with his tail. The scorpion mutant pulled out his tail, roughly, and Fishface fell to the ground. He wanted to scream from the odd mixture of heat and pain that coursed through him, but all he could manage was a series of moans. Stockman flew backwards, putting more distance between him and his trapped enemies. Whatever was happening to Fishface, he did not want to be next. His gaze shifted back and forth, from his fallen comrade to the turtle brothers and their friend. It didn’t take him long to decide that dying was not on his agenda, and he sped off through the air in the direction of the other Foot soldiers that were in pursuit of the helmet. Much like Fishface, the turtles were frozen were they crouched, but for different reasons.

“You...” Mikey began, wide eyed. “You stabbed him!?”

“And what else was I supposed to do with this thing?” Drawback retorted gruffly, gesturing to his tail.

“Drawback, you’re a scorpion,” Donnie stated in an unnaturally calm voice, repeating what he had said earlier when encountering Drawback in his new form. “A giant scorpion. Regular sized scorpions have enough venom in their tail to potentially kill. Which means that venom from your tail is probably GAURENTEED TO KILL!” Donnie’s calm demeanor dropped on a dime as he began screeching the last few words of his sentence. Drawback let out such a ferocious roar in Donnie’s face that his bandana tails flapped in the wind the roar was generating, and Donnie had to close his eyes. Raph and Mikey were immediately by his side, weapons drawn.

“THAT WAS THE POINT!” Drawback bellowed. “They were about to kill us! Why should we not try to do the same!?”

“Dude, that’s the Purple Dragon you talking,” Mikey spoke flatly.

“I’m still. A Purple. Dragon,” Drawback spoke, venom filling his tone. He stabbed the billboard that pinned them with his large claws and began to stand, lifting it up as he did. His grunts of exasperation became a bellowing roar as he slowly came to full height. The three turtle brothers scurried to their feet and ducked out from underneath the billboard. Drawback could feel his legs beginning to burn from the strain of the billboards weight, just as he stepped out and let it drop to the ground with a loud and heavy thud. His chest rose and fell as he panted, trying to relax his breathing. Donnie was already kneeling next to Fishface, checking his vitals. The fish mutant had since stopped making any noise, and ceased all movements. His eyes remained open, causing a chill to run up the youngest turtle’s shell.

“D, can’t you close his eyes or somethin’?” Mikey asked with a shudder, bringing his hands up to his chest. “They are really creepin’ me out!” But Donnie was too surprised at his findings to register his brother’s request.

“He’s still alive,” the genius turtle announced, eyes wide with confusion.

“What?” Raph and Mikey asked in unison.

“Did I miss?” Drawback grumbled. He, too, was confused at the news, but didn’t care enough to let it show, and was still angry at the turtle brothers for lecturing him a moment ago.

“No, there’s the wound, right there,” Donnie answered, pointing to a puncture mark on Fishface’s chest that was trickling blood. “I think ... I think he’s paralyzed.” His brothers and Drawback stared at him blankly, waiting for him to continue. “He may even be still conscious. His heartbeat is low, but not below dangerous levels. Same with his breathing. Drawback, your venom must not kill, but instead paralyze its victims. Whether it’s temporary or permanent, only time will tell.” Donnie held his finger to his chin, continuing to examine the Foot soldier.

“Sucks for him then,” Drawback barked, beginning to walk across the roof. “But I ain’t standing around here waitin’ for him to snap out of it.”

“Where are you going!?” Raph shot his question at the scorpion’s back, clenching his fists.

“To catch up to Leo!” Drawback spat back, barley turning in the turtle’s direction. “No way he’s rescuing Karai without me.” He faced the edge of the roof again, and prepared to jump across to the next building over. The turtle brothers shared looks, deciding that Drawback’s plan was more appropriate. After all, there was nothing more they could do for Fishface other than force his eyes shut and leave him to, hopefully, sleep off the paralysis.

...

Leo ran across the rooftops, grinning wide as he held the kabuto under his arm. He had succeeded in losing the villains by tricking them into thinking Zech had the helmet, which he had replaced with a bag full of used baby diapers. And now he had the means to free Karai. He reached the headquarters of the Foot clan and managed to slip through a sizable hole in one of the windows. He climbed down the wall into Shredders throne room and slowly walked towards the master chair. He rotated his body frequently to prevent his back from being open in a single direction for too long, surveying the room as he did. His gaze swept over every inch of space, more than once.

“Why does the fly walk into the spider's web?”

Leo spun to face the ominous voice; Shredder, who stood by his throne. “Because all the spider's henchmen are out,” Leo retorted. He straightened his form, hoping to appear bigger and more serious. His fists were clenched, and his furrowed brow betrayed the fake smile that was plastered on his face.

“Ah,” the Shredder continued. “You've come to make a trade?”

“The helmet for Karai,” Leo demanded, making in known from his tone that he was not to be negotiated with.

“Very well. She'll have to be brought up from the dungeon.” Shredder nodded to a Footbot that Leo hadn’t noticed was standing behind the ninja master. It turned and walked off without hesitation, or even a nod of recognition of the order.

“You raised her from infancy and now you lock her in a cell? How can you do that?” Leo’s fist clenched tighter in hopes to calm the raging storm that was his emotional state. He had never been more disgusted by the Shredder’s actions than in that moment, and he had been disgusted by him from the beginning, among other feelings.

“In any conflict, the winner is the one who is prepared to do what the loser is not.” The Footbot returned with Karai, a burlap sack covering her head, and some of her shoulders.

“Let me go,” she grunted. She was forced to her knees, and didn’t give much of a physical struggle, other than a few squirms and tugs at the ropes that bound her wrists together.

“Now, the Kuro Kabuto,” the Shredder demanded calmly, a way of speaking, Leo had noticed, only ninja masters and senseis had perfected.

Leo arched his brow suspiciously. “How do I know you won't attack me as soon as I give you the helmet?” he asked, squeezing the helmet a bit tighter. The shredder paused as his glare deepened, almost like he was confused by the question.

“Of course I'm going to attack you,” he stated matter-of-factly. “Did you think you were getting out of this without a fight?” Leo stared at the Shredder with his unchanging expression. The turtle put the helmet down, and then drew his sword, informing the Shredder without saying a word that he had accepted to duel. He raised his weapon above his head and Shredder extended the duel blades on his arm gauntlets. They stared each other down for several moments, each not moving an inch. Finally, the Shredder let out his battle cry and charged at the ninja youth.


	6. Teamwork

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Daniel 'Drawback' Drake (c) [Vino-Lerrej on Deviantart](http://vino-lerrej.deviantart.com/)  
> Design of Drawback by me

The Shredder swung his blades at Leo, who deflected each blow. It was the Shredder’s kick to Leo’s abdomen that Leo was unable to block. He staggered back, trying not to lose his footing, and didn’t notice the Shredder swiftly move behind him. He kicked the turtle again, using a spin kick this time, and sent him into the nearest wall.

“Ugh, pathetic,” Shredder sneered, before slamming his gauntlet blades towards Leo’s head. He moved it out of the way just in time, and the Shredder’s twin blades dug into the wall. Shredder continued his taunts, “but that is to be expected when your Sensei is a weak-willed, coward like Splinter. You never should've tried to do this alone.”

“He didn't,” came a voice from behind him. He turned to see Raph holding his Kabuto in an extended arm, with his three brothers and Drawback standing behind him. They were armed at the ready, weapons out and claws snapping. Shredder narrowed his eyes at Drawback, not pleased that he had somehow escaped his mutant prison, but said nothing. He would have his henchmen hunt him down later. Right now, his helmet was priority.

“Guys!” Leo exclaimed, his obvious happiness spreading across his face in the form of a smile.

“Couldn't let you have all the fun,” Raph told him, still acting intimidating for Shredder.

“And none of us wants to tell Splinter we didn't try to save his daughter,” Donnie added, matching Raph’s angered expression.

“Now let's take Shred-head down,” Mikey announced, while spinning his chucks. Raph tossed a few ninja stars at the Shredder, knowing he would easily deflect them, as his brothers and Drawback took off in different directions. After deflecting the ninja stars, the Shredder barreled straight towards Raph and his Kabuto.

“Give me that helmet!” he roared, approaching Raph at a terrifying speed. Raph threw up the helmet without hesitation, and grabbed his sais from behind his back, but he was kicked by the Shredder before he could bring them forward. From across the room, Leo spun on his heel to receive the flying helmet into his arms. Shredder turned away from Raph, gliding his vision around the room until it fell on his helmet, and the turtle who held it. He began making his way to the blue banded leader, but was interrupted by Donnie, who came to intervene with his bo staff. It only stalled the Shredder for a moment, as he gave a few quick and swift moves that removed the turtle from his path. The Shredder, however, chose not to continue towards his helmet, but opted instead to finish the fight with Don. He raised his bladed forearms in the air above Don, who lay on the ground out of reach of his weapon. The Shredder brought his blades down, hoping to sever the teen's head. Donnie was relieved that his brother, Raph, was able to block the blow with his sais. They pushed their blades against each other, fighting for the upper hand. When Raph realized he wouldn’t be able to push back enough, he tried to sweep with his leg. The Shredder flinched, but did not go down, and retaliated with a kick of his own that sent Raph across the room.

Drawback charged at Shredder from behind, hoping to perform a sneak attack while he was distracted. He poised his tail to strike, but when he shot it out to his target, the Shredder moved, dodging the attack effortlessly. Drawback wound back his tail, preparing to strike again, but the Shredder was already retaliating. He threw his bladed hands towards the scorpion in a calculated blow. But Drawback was fast to defend as well. He threw up his large claws, and Shredder’s blades clanked against them, leaving a mere scratch. Shredder pushed against them as he devised a way to take down the large mutant. Then he suddenly grabbed the top of Drawback’s claws and pushed himself off the ground. Like a pendulum, he came swinging back, forcing his outstretched feet into Drawback’s abdomen. Drawback let out one last cry of pain as the air was knocked out his lungs and the two fighters were both sent to the ground. The Shredder was quick to get back to his feet, and watched Drawback struggle to get a breath, clutching his abdomen with all four arms.

“You’re pathetic, boy,” the Shredder hissed. “Exactly the reason why you were never good enough for Karai.” Drawback wanted to curse at him, say anything really, but could not find his voice to do so.

Leo and Mikey came running back towards the Shredder, Leo tossing the Kabuto to Donnie as they approached. Mikey came swinging his chucks at the Shredder, while Leo circled behind the two. Mikey let out cries and grunts with every swing of his chuck, trying to land a hit on the leader of the Foot. But the Shredder simply snatched the chuck out of the air and tossed it aside, with Mikey still attached to it. The Shredder then turned to see the blue banded turtle summer-saulting towards him. Leo outstretched his leg, aiming it at the Shredder, but he missed. The Shredder had ducked and struck the turtle as soon as he landed on solid ground.

“You fools really believe you can defeat me?” the Shredder bellowed, spinning to face the turtles.

“No,” Mikey spoke matter-of-factly. “But we kept you busy long enough to get Karai.”

The Shredder snarled at the four brothers and Drawback, who had gathered themselves around Karai and began making their way towards the windows. “You'll never get out of here alive!” he threatened.

“You want it?” Donnie asked rhetorically, holding up the Shredder’s Kabuto and giving it a little wave. “Take it!” He tossed it through the air, aiming it perfectly to land in Shredder’s arms. When he caught it, he heard a faint rattle come from inside. Looking down, the Shredder saw an egg inside his kabuto rolling down into view.

“What?” he asked, confused about what kind of trick this could be. Suddenly, the egg exploded in a cloud of purple smoke, blinding the Shredder as he screamed in anger. When the cloud dissipated, the Shredder looked around to see, as he had expected, that the turtles had gone, taking Karai with them. He calmly leaned down to where his helmet had fallen when he dropped it out of surprise, and lifted it over his head. He secured his Kabuto back to its rightful place, and began to laugh sinisterly.


	7. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Daniel 'Drawback' Drake (c) [Vino-Lerrej on Deviantart](http://vino-lerrej.deviantart.com/)  
> Design of Drawback by me

The turtles leapt over several rooftops, with Karai perched over Leo’s shoulder. They wanted to make sure there was enough distance between them and the Shredder’s for him to lose interest in pursuing them, before they stopped to untie Karai.

“Thanks, guys,” Leo told his brothers, before gently setting down the kunoichi on the rooftop.

“We had to come, Leo,” Raph replied with a smile, a smile that said they would always be with him. “You're the leader, right?” Raph held out his fist to Leo, waiting for a fist bump. Leo rubbed the back of his neck and returned his brother’s smile.

“Eh, more or less,” he joked while bumping his brothers fist. “Now, let's get her out of this sack.” Leo bent down to remove the sack from over Karai’s head, but was interrupted by Drawback, who rudely stepped between the turtle and his friend. His back was turned to Leo and his brothers, and he didn’t say a word. Leo was taken aback by this, but shifted from surprise to anger and started moving forward to confront the scorpion. He was held back by Donnie, who simply shook his head, and silently told his brother ‘let him have this’. Drawback took the rough burlap into his small, insect hand, hesitating for just a moment before removing it. He expected to see Karai’s face full of several different emotions; shock, fear, sadness, to name a few. But when the sack came off, he didn’t see her face at all. His eyes bulged as he saw the double pack of C4 strapped and wired to the top of a Foot-bot, fully equipped with a timer and voice recorder that had tricked the boys into believing it was really Karai.

“Let me go,” the recorder played back. The five of them screamed at the sight, instantaneously realizing they had been duped.

“That's not Karai. It's a bomb!” Donnie specified in a panic, as the recorder continued to playback Karai’s voice.

“Not cool,” Leo mumbled, just before Donnie interrupted him.

“Move!” the purple banded turtle screamed. The group turned on their heels and leapt from the rooftop, seconds before the Karai-bot burst in a raging ball of energy and fire. They fell onto the roof of the neighbouring building, not having enough time to prepare for a prober landing. Groaning as they got to their feet, they looked back at the smoke rising from where the Foot-bot had been, some of them rubbing parts that were sore from the rough landing. Drawback walked to the edge of the roof, not taking his eyes off the wreckage. Leo took a few steps towards him, wondering how, or if, he should comfort him.

“She’s still in there,” they heard Drawback say, although it was barely audible. His tail flinched and his fists clenched. “She’s still in there,” he said again, louder, as he turned quickly to face Leo. “Because of you!”

“What?” Leo gawked at the accusation. How was he supposed to know? When was he supposed to have figured it out? While they were getting their shells handed to them by the Shredder? He opened his mouth to say more, to wave off the ridiculous accusation this mutant gang member was trying to push on him. But before he could, Drawback swung his tail at him. Leo put his hand out in defense while simultaneously leaping backwards, away from the attack. His brothers were by his side in an instant, weapons drawn. “Hey! What’s the- ah,” Leo began to give Drawback a piece of his mind, but was distracted by a strange sensation on his upper arm. He raised it to look, and saw a small slash just below his shoulder. Donnie noticed too, and fear began to contort his features. Mikey turned to see what everyone was so focused on, leaving Raph the only turtle focused on threatening Drawback , and just stared in horror as Leo’s arm began to lightly twitch before falling limp at his side. Donnie quickly stashed his bo staff to free his hands for the examination he was about to perform. Leo looked up and glared at Drawback. “It wasn’t my fault,” he spoke slowly, through gritted teeth.

“And yet, Karai is not here with us,” Drawback spat at the turtle, before turning away. “I’ve decided I don’t need you anymore. I’ll get her back myself.” And with that, he leapt away across the rooftops, into the New York City skyline.

Raph took a step, wanting to go after him for attacking Leo, but was called back by Donnie. “Forget him, Raph,” their genius brother advised. “We need to get Leo home.”

“Is Leo gonna be okay?” Mikey asked as they began their way home, worry etched into his face.

“It’s not deep,” Donnie assured him. “And it looks like the paralytic venom only affected his arm. There’s a better chance that it will be temporary.”

“You don’t know?” Leo squeaked, now worried that there was no guarantee he would regain use of his limb.

“I’m afraid, … only time will tell.”

...

On another rooftop, far from the brothers’ path, Fishface suddenly shot into a sitting position. He let out a long and loud cry of aggression. Then as suddenly as his scream had filled the night air, it was replaced with the low sound of panting. He sat there for a moment, moving his limbs and joints, making sure he could move everything that should move. His chest was coated in a thin layer of dried blood that surrounded the dime-sized scab that was still in the early stages of forming. He placed a hand over it, still panting. “Holy chalupas. That’s an experience I never want to live through again.”


End file.
